


Sense of Belonging

by corgiles



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Eddie is sad, Guilt, Happy Ending, M/M, Mentions of canon character death, some introspection, venom is supportive and doing his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-16 23:18:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16504718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgiles/pseuds/corgiles
Summary: A short exploration of grief and healing after the events of the movie.





	Sense of Belonging

There were moments now when he simply stood in front of Mrs. Chen’s market and drifted off. Venom was always oddly quiet when he paused just before the space, as if sensing his mourning. Often, in his head, he went through the motion of his usual greeting. A little too fast, always coy and bashful, and never enough. He knew he had always done what he could, but standing in the rain with droplets catching in his hair, he found a heavy sense of loss. After the breakup he had already experienced too much loss. And then suddenly one day he gained more than he ever thought he deserved. The constant warmth in him proved that. But the lives and memories that faded into the background while his 'crisis' happened were slowly becoming a weight on his shoulders. The little things were what reminded him the most, were the moments when his boots weighed down his feet as realization struck. There were people who would never live another second. There was casualty in his gain and sorrow where he buried his pain. Venom healed his physical wounds, but the mental ones were harder.

Outside of the market, there was still an imprint against the brick from months of a body leaning against it. A pile of torn blankets still was crumpled underneath and remained the only thing left besides his memory. The rest had already been snatched by another in need in the chill of the upcoming winter nights or washed away in the rain. There was no one but him and Mrs. Chen truly looking to a spot someone once existed, only to see a darkened image like an echo of what should have been there. He thought of a genuine smile that had always outshined the tiredness that had outlined burdened eyes and the screams that now replaced the soft voice that once greeted him in the dead of the night. He thought of the hand that had clawed at the glass that night and the desperation he had never heard from her. The shattering of the glass and smell of smoke and burning flesh invaded his senses as he stayed glued to his spot.

Venom must have felt his guilt and sorrow overwhelming him because he wrapped a tendril of black ooze down his arm in what he must’ve thought was a comforting gesture. The days of watching movies on a cracked TV were educating Venom on human interactions to settle his cries of wanting to understand Eddie’s people better. Eddie had to admit, they were both a time he looked forward to and one he was grateful for. Venom’s craving to know how to help him was a way he thought was more human than others were capable of. The tendril squeezed gently on his wrist, weaving between his bracelets. Eddie looked to his long sleeves of his rain jacket, suddenly remorseful he couldn’t see Venom beneath it. He sent feelings of gratefulness to Venom.

He felt a prick of pride that wasn’t his. **This is where we met.**

“What?” Eddie asked startled under his breath. He tried to replay the events of that day to match Venom’s words.

His confusion was cleared when venom wrapped another tendril underneath his shirt around his chest. **In her memory, through her eyes.**

He thought of her banging on the glass again, Venom tearing through her crashing body as it boiled from the inside out. He had been thinking of it as pre-Venom consciousness, but it was selfish to assume he truly wasn’t Venom’s only host. Had Venom known what he was doing to her body? Did it matter when he wasn’t the same as before? Was Eddie really the turning point for him? A mess of man that felt like he was spilling out parts of himself everywhere he went?

**You were greatly admired by her. Trusted. Knew we could trust you.** He knew that what he felt then was a ripple of pride as Venom rolled around inside him. He fleeting thought in that moment about the rain continued to pool in his hood instead of the water that slipped down his chin. He opened the door to the market, feeling warmer as Ms. Chen yelled at him not to fling water everywhere. He shook out the hood as he stepped in.

\------

When he woke up he felt like his head was filled with cotton. His dream had been unkind but when he braved opening his eyes, he found Venom formed as an elongated slug or a pillow against him. He radiated heat and they were tangled today. Sensing he was awake, Venom opened his wide mouth, his tongue lolling out at his thoughts of food. As Eddie got dressed and Venom attempted to help by getting in the way, Venom listed off things he had seen on TV last night once Eddie had fallen asleep. Eddie shrugged on his coat over a sweater and decided against a scarf despite the temperature that was predicted as parroted by Venom. Briefly, he imagined Venom tucked into his shoulder discovering the wonders of a good warm scarf and tried not to laugh. He knew Venom would get tangled up quickly. 

Sensing Eddie’s amusement at his expense, Venom dragged them to the kitchen, not waiting for Eddie to put on boots. Eddie made eight poptarts that Venom waited as patiently as possible for and ate all but one as he rested a disembodied head on top of Eddie’s. **Where are we going today? Food?**

Eddie shook his head, “Nah, we have some things to take care of today.”

\------

They eventually made it to a small outside flower market with a promise of food later. Venom seemed satisfied and curious as Eddie chose a bouquet after only a moment of pause. 

Venom hissed as Eddie held it closer, **Tiny invader!**

Sure enough, there was a small spider burrowed among the stems, webbing faint and fresh. Eddie picked it off and held the small insect to the cut of his t-shirt as subtle as possible, a long tongue forming and licking around the tips of his fingers. The disgust that followed made Eddie chuckle as he walked to the check-out. He knew Venom didn’t think it was as gross as he was making it out to be because there was the undertone of fondness and curiosity that followed whenever venom tried something he thought looked weird. Or tried to break his record for most tater tots consumed. 

Eddie waited until Venom focused on the flowers once there was no longer the distraction of a spider. **For us?** Came the hopeful question. They had watched a romcom the other day where the woman was given flowers and it brought up an entire conversation on love languages and the point of giving flowers that were not to eat.   
Eddie bit his lip to push away some guilt, “Not this time, sorry, love.”

At the coursing disappointment with only a bit of forgiveness with the pet name, he made a mental note that he would have to buy some flowers later. When he paid, however, he made sure to grab a chocolate bar as well.

\------

It wasn’t a long walk to their next destination, but once they were there it felt like a lifetime. Eddie leaned against the building; exhaustion and guilt dully pulsing through his legs instead of his usual feeling of Venom. The sensation of Venom curling around his stomach only exaggerated the difference, him idly moving about with a newly practiced ease. His gaze lifted to in front of him, the cemetery stretching through a little park squeezed between two industrial buildings. It looked like an afterthought with the vines that climbed the brick and tall grass that seemed unbothered. The patchy green space was interlaced with too many gravestones, crooked placement and long time residents cracked and faded. There seemed to be more dirt than cut grass and only a small amount of space left, showing that the cemetery had come long before the buildings. There were only two figures among the stones, small and displaced among the scenery. 

**Children?** The innate interest in Venom’s tone ensured Eddie would investigate more into that later. The smaller one was a young boy who tugged at the taller one’s sleeve. They moved from the gravestones and somberly made their way to an adult figure on the sidewalk, tapping away at a cell phone not far from them. The empty space they left was where Eddie drifted once the children were out of sight. The gravestone was new and unmarred by the weather, tucked into a corner that was partially shielded by one of the buildings. The stone was decorated with new flowers that rested on a child’s drawing and what looked like a doll dressed as a scientist. It made his chest feel like before Venom, when he sat in his apartment with leftover takeout and only bare walls to keep him company. A stirring from Venom quickly pulled him away from that train of thought. A black head formed between his head and shoulder, tucked into the space against his neck. He had become used to Venom settling there, reminding him he was no longer alone and would never be alone again without many words.   
He reached a hand to stroke the top of the gooey head but it rested there as he crouched to settle the flowers among the memories already left. Venom flicked his tongue out, **Did we know her?**

Explaining graveyards was more than Eddie could handle in the cold air so he settled for a short speech, “She’s why were together. We should honor her.” The breath from his nose was soft and clear for now, “She was courageous and risked everything.” 

Venom seemed to understand and grew an arm from Eddie’s abdomen. He took a flower from their bouquet and laid it next to it as his contribution. Eddie smiled and patted his head as he withdrew. Their intermingling feelings often made it easier to comprehend difficult subjects for both of them. No more words were needed. 

They left when Eddie’s nose felt like it was going to fall off from the drop in temperature as the night air hit. He taped a message to Anne on his phone, quietly muttering into his collar, “Are you still okay with going to Anne and Dan’s for dinner?”

**Food!** Venom shouted inside his head with oozing enthusiasm. It was rapidly replaced with realization, and a disgruntled Venom was never good.

“They still don’t know about you so I’ll get you another bag of pizza rolls when we go home.”

Venom was an expert at pouting without manifesting, **We wish to interact with Anne and Dan as well.**

Eddie sighed. He truly didn’t know if the roadblock was not knowing how to bring up the topic without putting them in danger or if he was just being selfish. He played through different scenarios when he got distracted while working and he had yet to find a good solution. “I know, buddy.” 

**More chocolate and a movie.**

Eddie hummed in agreement and Venom seemed appeased, much to his relief. They had set the dinner up a while ago, having decided that having bi-weekly dinners would be a good way to stay connected and ensure Eddie was doing okay. He wasn’t sure if they would be able to really tell, but today he really needed to see them. He needed to visibly see they were doing alright and were unhurt.  
As they walked the distance to Anne’s apartment, they passed a couple holding hands and leaning against one another. They looked tangled and walking all over the sidewalk, but the delight and affection on their faces made Eddie’s heart squeeze. Venom popped a little tendril from the collar of his shirt and they watched as the couple kissed with a loud 'mwah' sound at the end. Eddie felt the longing that surged through Venom and his eyes tracked the couple as they disappeared from sight.

“Would you like a kiss as well?” Eddie mused aloud against his ever paralyzing fear others would hear him talking to himself. He felt a rumbling throughout his torso like an echo of when Anne’s cat would stretch out above him and purr in his warmth. On the rare days he was liked by the stupid thing, of course. Or perhaps he was just a convenient source of heat. Venom, however, pulsed his emotions along with his vibrations in a way that comforted Eddie and reassured him. The comfort was becoming familiar to him, often found in the dark of the night when he awoke with sweat and tears intermingling, the burns of the rocket tearing at his skin and his throat gasping for air in the harsh water. He felt venom wrap through his fears and doubts and gave more than he could ever expect.   
Venom gave no response but Eddie already knew the answer. He smiled. 

\------

Dinner at Anne’s went smoothly. Dan was into making his own pasta currently and Anne had decided to try out a new salad. Their discussions always started a little rocky. On dinner nights when he first arrives, they all hug and the two act so visibly relieved like the night he almost died was the last thing to happen that Eddie’s throat feels tight. Then the awkwardness of deciding what to talk about grips them in a state of hesitance before Dan breaks the lapse with a weird story that never compares to that day in the hospital, but always makes them all laugh. They eat and prod and create a space Eddie leans into now. Dan always asks in a concerned tone disguised as a doctor voice about his eating habits and health and Anne smiles and reminisces about Venom. Throughout discussions, Venom responds in Eddie’s head to things he wanted to be included in and every time he tries his best to represent the two of them as a unit without disregarding Venom or being suspicious.

The conversation today lulled as they cleaned the table and Anne picked out a board game. There were half strung lights laying on the couch and a box of ornaments in the corner that had his handwriting scrawled across it. Anne looked over to see him staring at the box and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Remember our first Christmas together? We thought we could fit that tree in here Now I’m not sure I could even compete against an alien’s like yours.” It felt weird that they could talk openly about a time when they were together, but not like dissonance. It was more like a pieces of a puzzle fitting together. She looked away when Dan knocked a glass off the table attempting to move things off the table to set up the game.

**You could always join us,** rumbled Venom in response along Eddie’s thoughts. He kept from snorting and his sagging mouth eased into a gentle smile as he watched Anne move to where Dan was picking up the pieces of glass with a precision only a doctor could have. Her fingers wrapped around his hand and tugged it away as he got to the smaller pieces. She turned the palm around in hers to examine it for cuts. Eddie simultaneously felt like he was intruding on something Anne and him never truly had but also relief as he realized they had both somehow stumbled to find. The gentleness as she kissed the inside of his palm and the utter glow of intimacy between them when Dan focused solely on her was too much mixed with a feeling of not enough. Suddenly homesick, he reached towards his stomach where Venom liked to manifest his arm and feeling his call to him, Venom formed a black hand that slotted their fingers together underneath his sweater. Dan looked over to him and beamed when Anne berated him and Eddie smiled back. He couldn’t help but feel he was where he belonged. 

**Where _we_ belong, Eddie,** came the reply he was awaiting. 

“Yes, my love,” he whispered as he squeezed their fingers a little closer together. It was more than true.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, enjoy!


End file.
